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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Frogger

Objective: To get comfortable moving within a pack; to practice good communicationTypical length of drill: 15 minutes

Materials needed:A full track or just four cones to mark the inside track line

Skill level required: None

Description: All the skaters get into one huge pack (depending on the amount of skaters you have at practice you may want to split the group into two smaller packs skating on opposite sides of the track) and start skating at a moderate pace. A coach stationed inside the track starts calling out names of skaters and what position they should move to within the pack (i.e. "Blaster to the outside!" "Tank to the back!" "Falcon and Banana trade places!" "Karl touch Bob!"). When they hear their names the skaters should immediately follow direction and at the same time loudly communicate what they are doing (i.e. "Coming up through the middle, give me some space!" "Moving to the outside!" "Dropping back!" "Moving up to the front, open up the inside line!"). During this drill the coach can also add extra challenges such as calling out directions in rapid succession making several skaters move around at the same time, or varying the speed of the pack(s). Skaters should also be paying attention to the two-stride proximity during this drill so occasionally yelling something like "Touch two!" is a good idea.

Additional notes: This is a very basic drill best suited for freshmeat. I know this one is practiced in many leagues so I'd love to know what some of the alternative names for it are!